'Brand India' has taken a hit in past 2-3 years'

'Brand India' has taken a hit in past 2-3 years'

Renowned British ad-man Martin Sorrell, the owner of WPP Group that controls over 40 per cent of the domestic ad market, said on Tuesday 'Brand India' has suffered due to events of the past 2-3 years, and stressed on the need to correct the blurred image.

The billionaire businessman said foreign direct investment inflows play a key role in shaping a country's brand image, comments which come in the backdrop of the new government taking proactive steps to invite overseas investors in a range of sectors.

"I think there are some challenges facing Brand India as a result of what has been happening here in the past 2-3 years," he told reporters in Mumbai.

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Image: A boy wears the head of an idol of Ganesh, deity of prosperity, during immersion of the 10-day-Ganesh Chaturthi, in Chennai September 15, 2013.Photographs: Babu/Reuters

'Brand India' has taken a hit in past 2-3 years'

The Chief Executive of WPP Group, one of the largest advertising firms in the world, however, didn't elaborate on what went wrong in the last 2-3 years.

Citing the example of China, which has benefited immensely because of its strong image abroad, the adman said there is a direct co-relation between the foreign direct investment inflows and brand image perceptions of a country.

"There is a direct co-relation between a strong country brand and strong FDI inflows."

He pinned hopes on the Narendra Modi government to deliver on promises it made in run up to the elections.

"I think the Prime Minister has already indicated a willingness to think about those issues and do something about them."

'Brand India' has taken a hit in past 2-3 years'

Sorrell, who was knighted in 2000, said there are a few things within India which he would like to see changed and specifically pointed out to stark inequalities on the income distribution front which he termed a big ‘downside’.

"You do see the difference in living standards, the vast differences that exist.

"That does worry me and this is a marked difference than China.

"China can manage that, you can argue rightly or wrongly, but they have managed it in a way from a practical point of view much more perfectly."

The advertising guru said the rising middle-class will be the engine of growth in the years to come here.

'Brand India' has taken a hit in past 2-3 years'

WPP holds over 40 per cent of the domestic ad market share with revenue of $500 million and employing 14,500 people as against 15 per cent it has in China with a revenue of $1.5 billion and over 16,000-strong workforce, he said.

WPP Group creative agencies in India include industry leaders like O&M and JWT, and smaller ones such as Bates.